Lies
by WritingBookworm
Summary: What was inside Azula's mind in Avatar: The Last Airbender and before? Azula's story, from childhood to her ultimate insanity. Meant to be a One-Shot, but turned out to be much longer than intended.
1. Prologue

**A/N: Hey, first off, thanks for reading this! **

**I remember I had been discussing favorite characters with my fellow A:TLA fans on a different site, and they both remarked that they liked Azula, especially when she went insane. At the time I hadn't been too fond of Azula- I mean, she had been a good character and a brilliant addition to the Avatar series, definately- but I just didn't see why she had been a favorite character of them. So a day after that, I was bored, so I decided to study her a little bit. And along the way I I found that she really seemed to have it about as rough as Zuko- think about it, Zuko had both Ursa's and Iroh's love, possibly Lu Ten's also, while all Azula had was Ozai's love- if his praise for her can even be called love. Bleh. Anyways, I actually began to feel sorry for Azula, especially when she was driven into insanity- if only she had a little more love in her life... I wonder what it would have been like then. **

**So due to my sympathy for her, my studying of her, and my connection, Azula skyrocketed to my top three favorite characters in A:TLA (1. Toph 2. Azula 3. Zuko). And I responded to my observations by deciding to write a small One-Shot of her- it turned out to grow, in short. I really can't help my longness, can I? **

**So, this is the prolouge, here I go. Sorry this is short- I promise you that the chapters WILL get longer. A LOT longer. **

**And I think I've rambled on long enough- I have a habit of that. Anyways- Disclaimer, I don't own Avatar: The Last Airbender or Avatar: The Legend of Korra. I wish I did, though... A LOT. **

**So, bye! Oh, and please tell me what you think of this by leaving me a review- I'm working on another million other FanFictions at the same time, so starting another one wasn't too smart... but writing this has been a lot of fun! **

**So, I really have gone on enough. So Read and Rate, enjoy the story!**

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><p>Lies<p>

Azula's Story

Most children my age are taught to raise something that starts with an L, hold it close to their hearts and base their life around it. That word is love.

As for me, that word is lies.

That word could have been love, in all honesty. But I just had gotten so little of it, I had to change this.

From a young age I could tell my mother favored little Zu-Zu over me. I sought valiantly for her attention, but my older brother gained it all without as much as a flick of a finger.

Perhaps it wasn't Zu-Zu. Perhaps it was me. Was Zu-Zu strong and I weak?

As time passed, this theory blossomed into reality. If I was weak, I'd need to make myself stronger- I was royalty! I was the one who should have power! I should be the one dominating them! I They should give me the respect I deserved- mother in particular. Even if it meant them all trembling in fear.

Fear… respect… dominance… power…

Yes, those were the four tools I needed. I needed to get this 'love' everyone else was so familiar with, but I couldn't get that at where I was now- it's obvious I needed to earn it. So I'd force the love out of them with fear- that's the only way I would get it, the only way I _could_ get it.

So it was from that moment on that I taught myself how to lie.


	2. Chapter 1

**A/N: Before we get on tonight, we have an award to present! :D **

**And the award, for the reviewer of Lies goes to... *Big drumroll* **

**ChristianGirlandProud! Thank you! **

**So please follow her example and review! Anyways, now to get on with the information about the incoming chapters- **

**Chapters 1-4 are gonna be flashbacks from episodes- so pretty much that's gonna be Azula's childhood. 1-3 has the scenes from Zuko Alone that lead up to Ozai's coronation and 4 is Zuko's Agni-Kai from Azula's point of view. The episodes will kick in at the end of Chapter 5. **

**So what's pretty much in this chapter is the first flashback from Zuko Alone- where Azula and Ty Lee tease Mai and Zuko, and then Azula and Zuko receive their letters from Uncle Iroh. Azula starts to seed heavy resentment towards her mom due to her supposedly giving all the attention to Zuko, and Azula feels that Iroh is following in Ursa's footsteps. And slowly Azula starts to think that Iroh is undeserving of the title of Fire Lord, and slowly gains favor of Ozai.**

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><p>Chapter 1<p>

A year or two passed and in that time I executed my plan. Slowly they understood I was not a Princess to be messed with. It was slow, yes- but I was a patient girl. And patience is rewarding- it _is_ a virtue, after all.

I remembered one day- Mai and Ty Lee, friends I had made in the Royal Fire Academy for girls, were visiting me on a quite lovely summer day in the Palace Courtyard, with the lush green grass, a few apple trees and even a small fountain. I had been about eight years old at the time and had been cartwheeling with Ty Lee while Mai rested calmly (and boredly) against one of the trees.

I took a deep breath as I leaned forward sideways, firmly placing my palms on the dew-soaked grass and attempting to rotate my body into a cartwheel Ty Lee had taught me how to do. However, since I was still just a little rough on this, halfway through the cartwheel I lost control of my balance and fell miserably.

Ashamed of my horrendous performance, I concealed my envy and anger with a calm and calculating mask. Now it was Ty Lee's turn- I watched in hidden awe as she executed a perfect, graceful cartwheel, her brown braid flapping in the air, that was far superior to mine, ending with a backflip.

_Superior._ I was Princess of the Fire Nation, I should be superior to Ty Lee, even if she was one of my closest friends and a fantastic gymnast. I cannot be second- even being second place showed weakness, even if it wasn't as much as others. But I still wanted no weakness whatsoever to show.

So I quickly stood up and shoved Ty Lee to the ground. There. I felt a little bit better as I laughed and pointed a finger at her.

"Azula!" Ty Lee whined as she picked herself back up.

But I wasn't paying any attention to Ty Lee now- Mother and Zu-Zu had entered, walking along the path that rimmed the Courtyard. Now my eyes flickered to Mai- don't think I hadn't noticed the way those two acted around each other. It was adorable, quite really.

Sure enough, Mai was caught blushing and quickly looked away from Zu-Zu. Suddenly a strategy began to piece itself together in my mind- one that would surely humiliate Zu-Zu and most likely embarrass Mai- it's hard to get almost any emotion out of her.

I nudged Ty Lee. Her brown eyes immediately drove its attention to me.

"Watch this," I whispered as I smiled almost devilishly.

Ty Lee giggled as I raced towards Mother and Zu-Zu.

"Mom, can you make Zuko play with us?" I asked innocently once I had caught them. "We need equal teams to play a game," I added.

Zu-Zu was absolutely revolted by the idea of playing with his little sister and her friends as he gripped the railing in annoyance. "I am _not_ cartwheeling!"

"You won't have to," I shrugged. "Cartwheeling's not a game." Then I muttered under my breath, "Dumb-dumb."

If Zu-Zu had heard me, he gave no signs of it. "I don't care," Zu-Zu retorted. "I don't want to play with you."

I didn't blame him for not wanting to 'play' with me- what older brother does? It's only their first instinct to say no.

But of course, I persisted. "We are brother and sister!" I encouraged before changing to a voice that was perhaps too innocent. "It's important for us to spend time together. Don't you think so, Mom?"

Ha! Now I've got it! It's also only natural for mothers to want their children to spend 'quality time' with each other, so I knew she wouldn't be able to resist, as much as she hated the idea of giving up time with her favorite child.

As expected, Mother replied, "Yes darling." My elegantly dressed mother, with kind eyes, long, majestic jet-black hair that flowed down to at least half her body and her porcelain hands tucked carefully under her lavish, silk crimson robes turned to Zu-Zu. I could tell she didn't like the idea of leaving Zu-Zu here alone with me- after all, I'm sure that if Mother could disown me, she would. She'd never remotely shown any sign of same affection for me that she hands over to Zu-Zu on a silver platter- for this I had to be better than him. It was the only way.

Mother smiled a little weakly. "I think it's a good idea to play with your sister. Go on now," she fluffed Zu-Zu's hair, showing a simple gesture of love that shouldn't bother me, yet it felt like a brief stab to me. "Just for a little while." She sounded as if she were trying to reassure herself.

Mother defeated what small hope Zu-Zu had of being able to not play with us as she left.

I smiled. Time for the game!

"Here's the way it goes," I began as I plucked a ripe apple off of a tree.

Then I walked over to Mai, who I had told to stand by the fountain, and centered the apple on her head that was topped off by her short, gleaming black hair. Mai tried to see what was up at the top of her head, but I'm guessing it was to no avail, as her amber eyes immediately shot down and her lips creased into a frown.

I walked back to Ty Lee and Zu-Zu. "Now what you do is try to knock the apple off the other person's head. Like this."

With that, I crouched down slightly, straightened my arm, pointing it at the apple on Mai's head, then I released a blast of fire from my fist. The blast soared towards Mai's head and settled on the top part of the apple. Mai's face sprung from being bored and somewhat unhappy to surprise.

What happened next was _perfect_. Zu-Zu was instantly alerted, thinking that Mai was actually in danger. A smug smile curled on my face as Zu-Zu launched to Mai. Zu-Zu pounced on Mai, succeeding in swatting the burning apple off of Mai's head, but in the process crashing them both into the fountain.

The splashes were sweet music of triumph.

I laughed at Zu-Zu's and Mai's proof that they had special feelings for each other. "See?" I asked Ty Lee. "I told you it would work!"

"Aw, they're so cute together!" Ty Lee agreed.

I was half-surprised when Mai actually showed anger as she stood up, Zu-Zu having already walk off, and her dress soaked in cold water. "You two are such…" Mai wasn't sure what to add at the end, "ugh!"

The fun ended as Mother came back into the Courtyard yet again, this time holding a scroll. Zu-Zu, desperate to end the humiliation, ran as fast as he could almost directly to Mother, his wet black ponytail flinging in the air.

"I was just coming to get you," Mother remarked as Zu-Zu ran towards the Palace. "Uncle Iroh sent us a letter from the war front. You're soaking wet," Mother added the last few words as if she were just noticing this.

"Girls are crazy!" Zu-Zu yelled, frustration etching itself more and more into his voice as he ran past Mother, dripping a trail of water in his wake.

Mother's eyes traced Zu-Zu with kindness before turning around to look at me with disappointment.

My face lied about my longing for her approval, replaced with a mask of nonchalance. "What? Zuko got frustrated," I lied innocently.

Mother just slowly shook her head. "Get inside," Mother urged. "We'll wait until Zuko's changed to read Iroh's letter."

Great. I got to read a letter from Mr. Boring instead of playing with Mai and Ty Lee. I didn't care if he was called the Dragon of the West- deep down inside my uncle was a pitiful, tea-loving old man who was undeserving of the title Fire Lord. Father, on the other hand…

"Come on, Azula," Mother called as she began to walk away.

I turned to Mai and Ty Lee. "Wait here," I told them before running to join Mother.

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><p>We could almost hear Uncle Iroh's voice as we read the letter together.<p>

_"If the city is as magnificent as its wall, Ba Sing Se must be something to behold,"_ Mother read. _"I hope you may all see it someday- if we don't burn it to the ground first."_

Zu-Zu, Mother and I all laugh at Uncle's witty comment. Very true- with the Fire Nation's almost undefeatable army, there was a large chance we would destroy the Earth Kingdom capital.

Two servants, each carrying an item on a silver tray each, walked into the room as Mother proceeded. _"Until then, enjoy these gifts. For Zuko,"_ A newly dressed Zu-Zu eagerly ran across the red floor that matched the walls to meet the servant offering a small, black-sheathed weapon, from the looks of it. _"A pearl dagger from the general who surrendered when we broke through the outer wall. Note the inscription and the superior craftsmanship."_

Zu-Zu excitedly unsheathed the dagger- it did look cool, I'd admit. I hoped what Uncle Iroh got for me was as cool as Zu-Zu's dagger.

Zu-Zu's amber eyes that heavily resembled mine (all the Fire Nation royal family has black hair and amber eyes- a classic, really) traced the inscription on the gleaming blade. "Never give up without a fight," Zu-Zu repeated in awe.

My turn. A servant walked up to me with my gift, which was… a doll?

_"And for Azula, a new friend,"_ Mother read to confirm the shape further. _"She wears the latest fashion for Earth Kingdom girls." _

Uncle Iroh had to be joking.

I picked up the green-dressed doll reluctantly- from what my face showed, you'd think I was being shown a fish that smelled like poo.

_Why_ did Uncle Iroh send me a stupid doll when he gave Zu-Zu a general's dagger? I wasn't some little girl! Well, okay, I technically was, but I was a _cunning_ little girl! How dare he not show me the respect he showed Zu-Zu- just like Mother.

First Mother, now Uncle… what did Zu-Zu have that I didn't? What made him so loveable and me so despicable? They… they would pay! All of them! I'd get my revenge! And just to think, Uncle's actually in line to become the next Fire Lord…

Suddenly an idea surged in my brain, and I found myself voicing it out loud.

"If Uncle doesn't make it back from war, then Dad would be next in line to be Fire Lord, wouldn't he?" I suggested perhaps too hopefully.

Mother especially frowned on me then and there, appalled that I would actually suggest Uncle to die in the battlefield. "Azula, we don't speak that way," Mother scolded. "It would be awful if Uncle Iroh didn't return. And besides, Fire Lord Azulon is a picture of health."

"How would you like it if cousin Lu Ten wanted Dad to die?" Zu-Zu quit playing with that darn dagger to agree with Mother.

I turned away from them. "I still think Dad would make a much better Fire Lord than his royal tea-loving kookiness." I spat out the last four words in disgust.

To support my words, I held the doll out and set its porcelain head on fire.

I watched in maliciously as I watched Uncle's pathetic toy burn. That's what he got for underestimating his niece!

But if Uncle didn't like me and Mother didn't like me… who could I turn to? Who actually held respect for me?

Wait… I'd got it. Father. He'd always held a little special place in his heart for me…

That settled it then. I'd become 'daddy's little girl.'


	3. Chapter 2

**A/N: Hey, anyone in there? **

**I didn't get any reviews for last chapter- rarely get them, really. Anyways, I hope I can get a review on this sometime soon- reviews mean that I know that someone's reading this. And that would really comfort me, to tell me that I wouldn't be writing for nothing. As you all know, we authors do like feedback. **

**So anyways, like I said, Chapters 1-4 are gonna be flashbacks, the first three from "Zuko Alone". In this one, Azula's goal is falling into place and she's gaining the respect of her Father, who back then was Prince Ozai. In this, Uncle Iroh surrenders the siege, which leads Ozai to ask Azulon about Iroh's birthright, Azula finds out, and Azula helps set the next events in motion...**

**So, enjoy, and PLEEEEEAAAASE review!**

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><p>Chapter 3<p>

Another year passed, and I strove like no other to perfect my Firebending and impress Father. I practiced valiantly with the numerous punches, kicks, throws and techniques I had to memorize.

Bit by bit, I gained Father's attention. He seemed genuinely impressed with my practices I performed regularly. Father grew to like me so much that he hired private tutors, two old women that heavily looked alike called Lo and Li. Although they were non-benders, Lo and Li truly seemed to know what they were teaching me inside and out. With their help, even I'd admit that my bending exceeded greatly. It even came to the point that Father deemed me a prodigy- and being a skilled lair myself, I could tell if someone was lying.

And he wasn't.

So I had done it. Zu-Zu had pillaged a part of my life, being Mother's and Uncle's favorite. It was about time I had support.

I remembered one time my Firebending was lowered just a bit- when Mother got the miessage, that one about cousin Lu Ten, Iroh's son. I remembered the tears that had sprung in Mother's eyes when she learned Lu Ten had died in battle.

Zu-Zu followed her actions- he and Lu Ten had been fairly close. It's as if Lu Ten had been another sibling to him- one to replace cunning, deceitful Azula.

Lu Ten and I's relationship= we were really nothing more than cousins. Why should we have been? Besides, Lu Ten was just one of the people who favored little Zu-Zu over me. So that's probably why no emotion appeared as a result to the news.

Appeared.

Lu Ten's death had also struck the events of a major day in my life. Father had seen that since Uncle Iroh's son had now passed away, this was a good excuse for him to size the title of Fire Lord, seeing as he had two wiling heirs at the ready whereas Uncle Iroh had none.

Zu-Zu and I had been residing in one of the spare rooms in the palace. Zu-Zu was playing with the dagger, twirling and dancing around with that thing- I saw him sleeping with it one time. I made me sick, how much he loved it.

I rolled my eyes as Zu-Zu fell down, pretending to stab himself.

"You waste all your time playing with knives," I remarked as I sat down in a chair calmly. "You're not even good."

Cheeks red hot, Zu-Zu stood up in anger and clenched a fist. "Put an apple on your head and we'll find out how good I am!" Zu-Zu challenged.

No thanks. I wasn't fond of placing a worthless fruit atop a royal head. I stood up and walked over to Zu-Zu, changing the subject along the way. "By the way, Uncle's coming home."

Zu-Zu seemed a little surprised by the news. "Does this mean we've won the war?" Zu-Zu asked a little skeptically.

"No. It means Uncle's a quitter _and_ a loser."

"What are you talking about?" Zu-Zu asked angrily, yet I could see he was confused. Couldn't blame him- he's not exactly the smartest kid on the block. "Uncle's not a quitter!"

"Oh yes he is," I hid my glee at the words that hung at the tip of my tongue, yearning to be said, as I leaned against a pillar. "He found out his son died and he just fell apart. A real general would stay and burn Ba Sing Se to the ground, not lose the battle and come home crying."

Zu-Zu's eyes flared in even more anger at me for making my point that Uncle Iroh didn't deserve to be called the Dragon of the West. "How do you know what he should do?" Zu-Zu snapped almost desperately. Then he looked down to the floor in despair. "He's probably just sad that his only kid is gone… forever."

I knew that I shouldn't feel sorry for my crazy uncle, my stupid cousin and my insipid brother, but I did. Zu-Zu did have a point- did I want to lose a close friend like Mai or Ty Lee?

Before I could decide what to do in response, Mother saved me from what would have been an awkward situation within myself when she opened the door.

"Your Father has requested an audience with Fire Lord Azulon," Mother announced. "Best clothes, hurry up."

With that comment, I was back to my old self. "Fire Lord Azulon," I smirked as Zu-Zu ran past Mother. "Can't you just call him Grandfather? He's not exactly the powerful Fire Lord he used to be. Someone will probably end up taking his place soon.

Now Mother really wasn't happy with my repetitive suggestions that hinted my anxiety for Father to become Fire Lord. "Young lady!" Mother scolded. "Not. Another. Word."

I just shrugged before running out of the room anxious to get this over with. Mother turned as I ran past her. Once she thought it was safe, she said to herself, "What is wrong with that child?"

I tried to prevent the words from stinging, but they did. I was desperate to bat them away, to tell myself Mother's opinion was meaningless and she shouldn't dare insult a child prodigy such as me like that. She shouldn't let Zu-Zu get in the way of any love she possibly held for me.

But no matter what I told myself as I ran through the halls, they didn't stop me from cringing, my chest knotting the somewhat fumbling steps and especially not the sole tear that dripped from one of my eyelids.

Father's appointment with Grandfather helped me take my mind off Mother's comment- for a little while, that was. He decided to show us off a little bit- for what reason, I didn't know.

"And how was it Great-Grandfather Sozin managed to win the battle of Han Tui?" Father questioned.

We were seated on the red center aisle that contrasted deeply with the rest of the black room. It was filled with decorative dark pillars, starting at a fancy gold base and reaching up to the illuminated ceiling that was illuminated by Grandfather's flames that bordered his dais which his throne sat.

"Great-Grandfather won because…" Zu-Zu couldn't make it more obvious that he didn't know. My older brother was so cute when he was struggling.

I decided to fill in for Zu-Zu- may as well take this chance. "Because even though his army was outnumbered, he cleverly calculated his advantages. The enemy was downwind and there was a drought. Their defenses burned to a crisp in minutes."

The history classes at the Royal Fire Academy for Girls was being put to use- I clearly impressed Father and ashamed Zu-Zu all in one move. Nice job, Azula.

"Correct, my dear," Father affirmed. "Now, won't you show Grandfather the new moves you demonstrated to me?"

Gladly. I stood up, feeling multiple pairs of eyes on me. I straightened my back. I spread my arms apart, then my knees bent as I connected my thumbs together before taking them apart again. I stretched my arms out then put them together again in front of my stomach, forming a small circle with my arms. That's when I started to Firebend now that the small warm-up was complete.

I twirled my arms around for a second, leaned back and pulled my arms to my side, then released a fire blast in a direction. I turned around and released an even bigger blast of fire that settled on the floor.

My amber eyes swiveled to Father for a brief second, and my heart swelled in joy and pride as I saw a small, ever-so-slight smile tug gently.

Encouraged, I continued to go around the room, throwing fire in various directions as I turned around in a three-sixty degree angle. I settled on one place as I summoned a batch of fire back to me, making it spin around in midair before throwing it to my left. I called it back to myself yet again, and it settled in my hands for a moment as I pulled them back. I toyed around with it before I ran up to the bordering fire with my own. The little show ended with my jumping and kicking midair, catapulting the fire into Grandfather's as I landed finely on my hands.

"She's a true prodigy," Father's voice gleamed faintly with pride. "Just like her Grandfather for whom she's named."

I beamed with joy as I sat back down next to Zu-Zu. Then, seeing a chance to humiliate Zu-Zu even further, I quickly leaned into him, knowing how bad he was in comparison to me.

"You'll never catch up," I sneered.

That did it. Zu-Zu stood up and announced boldly, "I'd like to demonstrate what I've been learning."

I looked back to Father, who's small smile had sunk back into a frown.

Zu-Zu began by performing the same exercise I had before hand, but that's all he did right. He swung his arms around, only to release a small fireball. At a loss of what to do then, Zu-Zu decided to quickly end with my finishing move. He jumped and aimed another pitiful fireball before landing on his back.

Mother had apparently stood up while Zu-Zu was making a fool of himself, and now she ran so fast she pretty much flew.

Zu-Zu could barely stand to meet crouching Mother's eyes- what a coward, really.

"I… failed…" Zu-Zu whispered, as if failing was an entirely new idea to him that just recently slapped him in the face.

"No, I loved watching you," Mother reassured. "That's who you are, Zuko. Someone who keeps fighting even though it's hard."

All Zu-Zu was able to do was stare at Mother with wide, wavering eyes, a trail of a tear rolling down his cheek, touched by her words.

I resisted rolling my eyes, but not by much. This was so dramatic, it was almost funny.

But yet again, who was I in Mother's eyes? Oh, I know- a sneaky, hungry, Fire Nation Princess whose brain has an infection in it!

Fortunately I wasn't the only one frustrated by the drama. "Prince Ozai, why are you wasting my time with this pomp?" Grandfather Azulon called to Father, frustrated. "Just tell me what you want!" Grandfather flicked his hand towards us. "Everyone else, go."

Mother, Zu-Zu and I all stood up to exit the throne room. But gaining an idea at the last moment, I suddenly yanked Zu-Zu's hand just as we were about to leave, making it look like we left, guiding him through the silky red curtains.

"What are you-" Zu-Zu attempted.

I quickly cut him off. "Shh!"

We stopped and I removed part of the curtains apart, creating a small hole where my eyes drank in the scene- just like earlier, but without us by Father's side. Zu-Zu peered over my shoulder to watch the scene.

Father took an almost unnoticeable deep breath. "Father, you must have realized that with Lu Ten gone, Iroh's bloodline has ended," he explained as if Grandfather didn't already know that. "After his son's death, my brother abandoned the siege at Ba Sing Se, and who knows when he will return home? But I am here, Father, and my children are alive."

"Say what it is you want," Grandfather snapped impatiently.

"I smiled broadly at Father's next words. "Father, revoke Iroh's birthright," Father suggested. "I am you humble servant, here to serve you and our nation. Use me."

Grandfather aimed an aging finger accusingly at Father. "You dare suggest I betray Iroh? My first born son?" Grandfather's harsh words forced Father down even lower. To reflect Grandfather's anger, the flames bordering his dais grew aggressively. "I think Iroh has suffered enough! But _you_- your punishment has scarcely begun!"

Zu-Zu's muscles stiffened in fear. Too nervous to witness what was coming next, Zu-Zu's legs kicked in and he shot as far away from the scene as he could.

I continued smiling cruelly as I, eager to see what was next, turned back to the scene.

Grandfather had stood up. "You must know the pain of losing a first-born son, by sacrificing your own!" Grandfather's words rung through the chamber in fury. "Your son, Prince Zuko, shall die- and at your hands!"

My breathing stopped. Grandfather… he wanted Father… to kill Zuko?

I watched Father, my eyes unyielding to take my eyes away from him. What would he say? I knew Father didn't like Zuko nearly as much as Mother and Uncle, but…

Father almost immediately bowed his head respectfully, no emotion showing on his face. "It shall be done."

Shocked, I willed myself to look away and restrain fear from getting to me as Grandfather Azulon replied- it didn't register in my mind. Quickly I pulled open the large doors and ran out- luckily both Father and Grandfather were too absorbed in their conversation to notice.

AS I ran to my room, I wondered how to react. My first confusion was to not let fear get to me- fear was weakness, and I didn't want to be weak. Weak was pitiful, and I was not pitiful. So I quickly overcame fear and logic seeped in as I thought about the options.

Did I warn or not warn Zuko? Personally I wasn't fond of the idea of losing a family member- no one was. And I didn't want to experience the pain. I didn't want one bit of weakness to taint my perfect image.

Then I weighed the second option- to leave it be. Why not? After all, Zu-Zu has almost been the bane of my creation, sucking so much attention and leaving me in the dust. But yet again, he was so fun to humiliate.

That last thought made the decision.

I headed off to his chamber and opened the door- Zuko was asleep in his canopied bed. Now's the part where I warned him- but I couldn't look scared. I still needed to maintain my confident aura.

I drew a smirk on my face and leaned against the doorway as Zuko awoke.

"Dad's gonna kill you!" I sang with fake pleasure. "Really," my voice took on my same harsh voice as I turned to Zuko, "he is."

Zuko thought that he was so smart, that he had already fallen for my tricks. "Ha ha Azula," Zuko replied sarcastically. "Nice try."

I stood up straight and shrugged. "Fine, don't believe me." I guess it was his fault now if he gets killed. "But I heard everything." I intimidated Grandfather, repeating his exact words. "'You must know the pain of losing a first-born son, by sacrificing your own!'"

"Liar!" Zu-Zu cried desperately.

Who knew that even _warning_ Zuko could be so much fun? "I'm only telling you for your own good," I insisted as I sat down on his red bed. "I know, maybe you could find a nice Earth Kingdom family to adopt you."

It was both a sarcastic and genuine suggestion, but no matter what it was, Zuko wouldn't have it- how cute was that? So cute, he actually pulled his blanket closer to him, as if that alone would protect him.

"Stop it, you're lying!" Zuko wouldn't listen. "Dad would never do that to me!"

Apparently he would.

Before I could say this to Zu-Zu, we were both jolted into shock when a new voice waltzed into the scene. "You father would never do what to you?"

I turned around to find Mother- how I despise her. "What is going on here?" she demanded.

I batted my eyelashes innocently. "I don't know."

Of course, Mother didn't believe it- it was a pathetic try anyways. That was evident when Mother marched up to me, long fingers enclosing on my wrist like talons- who knew she could be so strong?

"It's time for a talk," Mother said so coldly as she dragged me out of the room, not only did it send ice down my spine, but actually erased my confident look.

After we had traveled down the hall a bit, Mother released her sharp grip and looked down on me more sternly than possibly she ever had before. Which was saying a lot, seeing as how she hated me.

"Azula, young lady, you have no right to keep picking on Zuko like that!" Mother began. "It's-"

I quickly seized a chance to cut her off and make my point. "Yes, because Zuko's absolutely _perfect,_ isn't he?" I interrupted sarcastically. "And I'm the demented one, right?"

"Azula!" Mother scolded, actually shocked at what I had to say. "You know that isn't true!"

"Like I believe that," I dismissed. "To you, I'm a monster. I have something wrong with me. Zu-Zu's adorable and I'm an ignorant, selfish Fire Nation Princess."

Mother stopped breathing for an instant, staring at me in disbelief and the thin light illuminating her thick, glossy hair gave it a slightly reddish look.

"Azula…" Mother didn't know what to say, until she finally forced herself to peel her similar amber eyes away from me. She turned her head around, closed her eyes, and heaved a sigh of defeat and exhaustion.

I knew what would re-spark her- the same I had heard from Grandfather Azulon and Father. "Oh, and by the way- Daddy's gonna kill Zuko, for real." I found interest in my well-groomed nails, observing them as I said this nonchalantly, as if it wasn't any more important than a stale piece of bread.

As predicted, I practically heard Mother's head snap in sudden attention. Her eyes grew. "Azula… you're joking, right?"

"Nope," I said simply as I lowered my hand and my eyes met Mother's. "I heard everything- after you left, Father asked if he could become Fire Lord, then Grandfather got real mad." I began to twirl one of my black bangs with my forefinger. "He said his punishment should fit his crime and told Father to kill Zuko. And what was more, Father agreed."

Mother's face drained of color more and more as I proceeded, soon almost as white as a piece of paper. Her neck and other muscles tightened in utter fear, and her hands suddenly began to shiver madly, like an old lady's. Her bottom lip dripped open ever-so-slightly- other than those signs of fear, she didn't move at all.

"Please go to your room," Mother said slowly. "I'll take care of this."

With that, Mother spun around, a short tail of her dress spinning as she started to race toward Father.

A satisfied smirk rose on my face. But at the time, I hadn't known what events I had set into place, that right there I helped save Zuko's life.

I didn't know that this would be one of the last times I'd see Mother.


	4. Chapter 3

**A/N: First off, thanks to ChristianGirlandProud and Sonzai Taz for the reviews! **

**So this is the second-to-last Lies chapter that's a flashback, and it's the last of the Zuko Alone Flashbacks. In this chapter, Ursa disappears, Azulon dies, and Ozai is crowned Fire Lord. Can this be any more triumphant for Azula?**

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><p>A gentle hand slowly roused me from sleep. I half-unwillingly sat up- the bed was simply too comfortable with multiple layers of red silk blankets washing over me. Yet despite these luxuries, I found myself sitting up.<p>

Due to weariness and the dark only foiled by a spilling light from the door, my adjusting eyes could barely see Mother's worried outline. Her hand stretched to hold me close somewhat.

"Azula dear, listen to me," Mother whispered frantically. "I'm so sorry for how I've treated you. Remember this always- I love you so much. I always have."

Shaking, she carefully laid me back onto the bed, looking back on my barely-listening form with heavy sorrow. Mother stood up slowly, looking back as she walked over to the door. Finally her head turned regretfully around as she shut the door behind her.

I at the time being somewhat stupid, shrugged this moment off and set my head back down on my pillow, allowing the pillow to embrace it. Once again sleep consumed me.

A few ours later a sharp rap on the door jerked me awake. Rubbing my eyes, I yawned, "Come in."

The door swung open not a millisecond later and three servants entered the room- two young women both delivering me an assorted breakfast on silver trays and a worried looking, hunched old man. The women were nothing new, the man was.

The man cleared his throat while one of the women quickly began buttering one of the white rolls.

"Urgent news, Your Highness," the man announced.

"What is it?" I inquired boredly as I took the roll from the woman without a thank-you.

"Fire Lord Azulon is dead, and Princess Ursa has disappeared. We fear something terrible has happened."

I froze briefly just as my opened mouth was just about to bite into the roll. Grandfather, dead… Mother, disappeared…

Well, perhaps it was for the better anyways. Mother being gone, I mean. With her out of the picture, I'd no longer hurt from no love, right? Zu-Zu would suffer the pain I had for so long… perfect revenge on him for stealing one of my parents away from me.

And now that Grandfather was dead… there was a chance Father could rise to power and become the new Fire Lord, given Uncle's surrender.

Oh, this day was perfect.

A smile grew on my face- one that I'd bet scared the servants. I set the roll down and looked hungrily to the messenger. "Something terrible has indeed happened," I said simply to him. "What a shame."

I didn't even try to act concerned.

When they didn't say anything, I waved my hand. "Dismissed," I commanded.

Each of the servants bowed their heads respectfully before walking out.

After eating breakfast alone, I decided to have a little fun with Zu-Zu- I wanted to see how he would react _without_ Mother or Uncle there to defend him. So I got dressed quickly, tied my hair up at the top of my head traditionally and smoothed my bangs before sneaking into Zu-Zu's room and snatching his dagger.

My envy of the knife sprang into action once again as I looked at it, hiding behind a thick pillar in the hall. The inscribed blade gleamed with radiance against the sunlight- yes, much better than the pathetic Earth Kingdom doll. Zu-Zu had had it good.

Speak of the devil, shortly I head his footsteps echo throughout the hollow halls and his desperate cries. "Mom? Mom, Mom!"

Hiding the dagger behind my back, I peeked over the pillar to look at him. Before I could step back into my hiding spot, Zu-Zu saw me.

"Where's Mom?" Zu-Zu asked, panicked.

I shrugged. "No one knows," I answered as if this happened ever day. "Oh, and last night Grandfather passed away."

Zu-Zu had seen his precious dagger while I told him this. Focusing on that, he seemed unfazed by Grandfather's death, like me.

"Not funny Azula," Zu-Zu snarled. He thought he was so threatening. "You're sick." Like I didn't hear _that_ every day. "And I want my knife back, now."

Zu-Zu charged and tried to reach the knife, but I easily dodged it. I held it out in front of him, relishing his jealously.

Now to torture him some more. "Who's gonna make me?" I taunted. "_Mom_?"

Zu-Zu was now so angry, he actually succeeded in snatching the dagger from me. I presumed smiling as he ran out of the room, barely able to keep himself from crying. Poor, weak little Zu-Zu.

But I began to feel something knot inside my chest. What was I saying to myself? Why was I glad that my own Mother had disappeared? Was I starting to lie even to myself? What was I becoming? Was I truly heartless?

Fortunately I began reasoning with myself again. Heartless was better than weak.

A few days later, Zu-Zu, Father and I were all attending Grandfather's funeral, dressed in white clothes tailored for us a day or two ago. A Fire Sage was conducting the funeral, where Grandfather rested in a golden sarcophagus. We all stood on a raised platform, where I relished the attention of all my subjects, which all stood before us in rows. The sun pressed lightly on my white back, the sky bright, no clouds. Perfect weather for a perfect day, for I knew what would soon happen after.

The Fire Sage began the speech. "Azulon, Fire Lord to our nation for twenty-three years." I could already tell this was going to be boring. "You were our fearless leader in the battle of Gar Sai. Our matchless conqueror of the Hu Sin provinces." Blah blah blah and mumbo jumbo was all I heard. "You were father of Iroh. Father of Ozai. Husband of Ilah, now passed. Grandfather of Lu Ten, now passed. Grandfather of Zuko and Azula."

I paid a little more attention when my name was mentioned.

The Fire Sage turned around and walked towards the sarcophagus and took the Fire Lord Crown. Father began to walk to the Fire Sage. Now was the part where I actually paid attention.

"We lay you to rest," The Fire Sage declared mournfully.

Two Firebenders then approached Grandfather's sarcophagus, aimed their fists on either side of it, and willed a stream of fire from each to pour onto the gold that had been gleamin in the sunlight, now the orange tendrils trying to reach the sky. This marked Grandfather Azulon's death, as if dying hadn't already.

Well, glad that was over with.

And now, finally- the fun part. The part that marked a glorious day in the history of the Fire Nation.  
>Father was now sitting down expectantly as the Fire Sage held the Fire Lord Crown over his head. "Hail Fire Lord Ozai!"<p>

And with that, the Fire Sage stabbed the Fire Lord Crown into Father's ponytail. At the same time, I felt a stab of triumph rest in me.

On cue, Father stood up, and I was the first one to lower to my knees and bow down to him in respect. My lips stretched into a triumphant grin as I watched thousands of Fire Nation citizens follow my lead and bow down in respect to the new Fire Lord Ozai.

That was one of the best days of my life.


	5. Chapter 4

**A/N: Man, it's been a while since I updated this story.**

**I guess you can say I kinda forgot about it, but now, I've finally decided that I've worked on it a lot, and I'm close enough to the finish line that this can be completed soon.**

**That does mean cutting this off short, though. I had originally planned for this to go all the way up to the end of Season Three, but it doesn't look like I'll be able to do that. So I'm going to end it at the end of Season One.**

**Anyways, thanks to Hanban915 and Sookdeo for reviewing!**

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><p>Chapter 4<p>

Time continued to pass. I never saw Mother after that night- sometimes I'd miss her, sometimes I would be overly happy that she was gone. And with Father being the new Fire Lord, the Fire Nation prospered more than ever. And it certainly helped as my firebending grew all the more advanced. Lo and Li grew to be my most trusted advisors.

The only non-perfect thing in my life was Zu-Zu. Don't get me wrong, he was still very fun to tease from time to time and remained a Momma's Boy. He also seemed determined to prove that he was worthy of being Prince of the Fire Nation- which he wasn't, of course. And that determination led him to one of the biggest mistakes in his miserable life.

I stretched comfortably after tying a nice, silk red robe around me. I had been invited to go attend a war meeting, but it had been a rather long day, even for a Fire Nation Princess. Personally, I though after a long day of firebending practice that I deserved a nice, luxurious hot bath.

I walked over to my vanity and began brushing through my thick hair when all of a sudden, a messenger burst into the room.

"Your Highness-" he attempted, but I swiftly and carelessly cut him off.

"Don't you know that it is rude to interrupt a Princess when she's grooming?" I inquired, not even looking at him.

"S-sorry. But anyways, Prince Zuko has disrespected Fire Lord Ozai in a war meeting and will now be dueling him in an Agni Kai. You are invited to watch."

I grinned wider and wider as he explained. I showed interest in this by slowing down the brush as I absorbed this. Finally, I resoled on setting my brush down.

"Allow me to get on my armor."

Upon entering the heated room where Zu-Zu's Agni Kai was expected to take place, multiple Fire Nation Generals stood out of my way to allow me to pass through. Finally, I settled on standing near General Zhao.

But of course it wasn't long before my fuddy-duddy uncle came to the scene. He looked to me, but turned his head away quickly. I looked upon him with spite, he hated me. Good. Just the way I like it.

My attention turned to Zu-Zu, who shrugged his traditional cloak off. In turn, it revealed his bare chest and his long, muscled, ringed arms. Even I had to admit that he looked pretty strong.

But whatever tiny spark of admiration I held for his physical strength quickly vanished when Zu-Zu saw our Father.

Zu-Zu's face blanched considerably. "Please, Father, I only had the Fire Nation's best interest at heart!" he explained pitifully. "I'm sorry I spoke out of turn!"

Wait, so he didn't _know_ Father would be his opponent? How amusing!

Despite his pleas, Father advanced. To look at Father bare-chested… and I had thought Zu-Zu had looked strong.

"You will fight for your honor," Father snarled coldly.

Zu-Zu desperately threw himself on the floor before him. "I meant you no disrespect," he humbly begged. "I am your loyal son."

And that was what Father had said to Grandfather the night before he died.

Father wouldn't take this. "Rise and fight, Prince Zuko!" he commanded.

"I won't fight you!"

My my, this was terribly entertaining.

Father took his as a personal offense. "You will learn respect, and suffering will be your teacher!" he said to Zu-Zu, his voice as cold as ice and as powerful as an inferno.

Horrified, Zu-Zu looked up to Father pleadingly. Big mistake.

To put his words to use, Father drew his arm back, fire rushing up to it, charging it. Then he brought the fire down swiftly on Zu-Zu's left eye.

Zu-Zu screamed in utmost agony while I watched maliciously. Fire burned his eye so badly that skin began to peel off of it. Blood trickled from his eye and down his face.

Finally- he had gotten what he deserved. He stole Mother and Uncle's attention all my life- it was about time that he paid the price.

And pay he would when he came to be banished from the proud Fire Nation.


	6. Chapter 5

**A/N: Well, this is it...**

**The last chapter of Lies.**

**I really wish I could continue this, I really do. I'd like to see Azula go all the way in Seasons Two and Three, but sadly, I won't have time for all of that. Maybe someday, when I'm free, I'll be able to expand upon this. But for now, this is a completed fic. **

**However, I am considering a sequel... where Azula is in the mental asylum. If I wrote it, it'd probably be called Illusions. We'll see what happens. :)**

**Anyways, thank you qweenseeker and Momo-love for reviewing! Now, enjoy the last chapter of _Lies_. **

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><p><span>Chapter 5<span>

Once Zu-Zu was gone permanently, life seemed to be almost perfect. Sure, I did miss bullying him a lot, but I made up for this by spending time with Mai and Ty Lee.

Eventually we were all pulled out of the Royal Fire Academy for Girls, one by one. When she was twelve, Ty Lee found an opportunity elsewhere- at the circus. Personally I thought she should become a little more civilized- after all, Ty Lee was of nobility. Why waste it on something as putrid as the circus? Oh well, at least Ty Lee was happy.

A year later Mai was pulled out- our army had captured the great Earth Kingdom city of Omashu- surprisingly easy, seeing as their worthless King Bumi surrendered on the spot. Anyways, Mai's father was appointed Mayor of Omashu, so he wanted her close. Now that both Mai and Ty Lee were gone, I found no point in staying. So I requested that Father pulled me out- which he did.

Upon my arrival, Father pushed me harder than ever to perfect my Firebending. Father clearly showed an intent for it to become perfect- he wanted me to become perfect. I was actually grateful for Father's strict pushing- as the Princess and Heir Apparent to the Fire Nation (now that Zu-Zu was banished), it was only common logic that I become perfect.

Eventually, I seeded a need to not only be perfect, but remarkable as well. I needed to be unique, stand out immediately in someone's mind as an extraordinary fourteen year old even if I hadn't been a Princess.

One of my more notable accomplishments had begun one average day, late at night, in my dimly lit study. Lo and Li had given me a small homework assignment to study natural fire and its habits.

My quill traced ink over a sheet of paper, my eyes darting back and forth between the small, naturally made fire dancing on the metal ring and my parchment. One of these times I finally noticed something that I amazingly hadn't before.

It was an average, orange fire, nothing new. But then I noticed the bottom- the blue portion of the fire.

The quill halted its rigid pace as I began to squint, staring at the blue part of the first. My jaw lowered just a bit. I closed it and set the quill aside as I began to remember something… a day when Father marveled to me about blue fire being the most deadly.

As an experiment, I aimed my front two fingers at the bottom of the fire and raised it slowly. In return, orange was slowly drowned in blue. When the fire had become blue completely, the room was no longer illuminated by orange, but now swimming in blue.

A smile began to crawl on my face as I stood up and kicked the chair aside. I called the fire mentally, and sure enough, it rushed to my fingertips like an obedient servant. I extended my arm, creating a whip of fire.

_Blue_ fire.

I let the fire die out and unleashed five jabs around the room, quickly turning the passionate orange into a precise blue.

My mind worked furiously for the next few days to convert the orange to blue. For this, Firebending practice became not only physically challenging, but mentally challenging as well, making practice twice as grueling.

From the moment fire blazed out of my fingertips I let the blue consume the orange. Three days of practicing and I could rapidly change it as if it came naturally. Then, after a week, it did come naturally.

Orange fire. Passionate, angry.

Emotional.

Blue fire. Cold, cunning.

A smile curved upwards.

Deadly.

Not a month later did the next life-changing event occur.

"Princess Azula." The familiar messenger walked into the room- ugh. Messengers were so annoying these days. He was fairly lucky that I was in a good mood, otherwise I might have sent some blue fire at his head.

"What is it?" I asked, not looking up from my book on Firebending. My voice was relatively calm yet held a jutting, sharp edge to it.

The messenger bowed, sensing my annoyance. "Fire Lord Ozai has requested your presence in the Throne Room."

Oh, Father wanted to see me?

I set the book aside. "I'll be there in a moment."

And in there in a few moments I was. I loved talking with and spending time with Father- he always made me feel… on edge. I liked that.

I knew immediately to kneel down to Father once I entered the Throne Room. Even though we were father and daughter, I still had to show that I respected him. And in turn, times would call for when he had to respect me.

Just a few years ago, the fire surrounding the dais would be illuminating Fire Lord Azulon's face- now it shadowed Fire Lord Ozai's. At this angle, he truly did look imposing, just like the proud leader he was.

Soon his heavy and snake-like voice resonated throughout the room. "Iroh is a traitor and your brother Zuko is a failure."

I tilted my head up, interested. Why mention Zu-Zu? He almost never did, seeing him as truly pathetic and desperate enough to believe that the Avatar was actually alive.

I found out quickly enough, my heart swelling with an unsteady yet lightweight feeling.

"I have a task for you…"

The End

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><p><strong>AN: Well, that's it.**

**Thank you all for supporting me! As I wrote this I was listening to the Last Agni-Kai score, and man... it does sadden me to know that this fanfiction is done, even if it's only five chapters- just because it's shorter doesn't mean it's any less sad.**

**See ya guys! Happy writing, and I hoped you enjoyed Azula's story.**


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